Odyssey House Journals

THIS PEOPLE PLEASER HAS FINALLY LEARNED HOW TO SAY NO   Jordan ended up homeless, addicted, living on the street after what she calls an abusive relationship. Fast forward to today where she’s in long term recovery and ready to reunify with her children. “I’m excited for what comes next.” Follow her transformation in this edition of Odyssey House Journals. Watch or listen and hopefully subscribe (...

IV HEROIN ADDICT AT 16. NOW A SOBER, LOVING MOM   Rachel is an amazing woman with a wild story to share. She was basically a drug using rebel who started so young after childhood trauma. In this edition of Odyssey House Journals follow her journey which sounds like fiction, but is raw reality. Watch or listen and hopefully subscribe (free) to the 30 minute podcast on the following platforms with t...

MEET AN ADDICTED ENABLER. A DEDICATED FIXER.   Christine Carlisle spent 12 years enabling addicted loved ones, thinking enough love will solve everything. Now, as a therapist and clinician, she realizes how wrong she was. In this edition of Odyssey House Journals she emotionally shares “the hardest thing in my life.” Watch or listen and hopefully subscribe (free) to the 30 minute podcast on the fo...

“THE MOST GENTLE PEOPLE I’VE EVER MET”   Sarah Hensley is talking about people she supervises in boarding homes. These are people with severe and persistent mental illness. She wants all of us to treat them with basic human decency, not fear. Why does she care so much? “Because I was one of them.” Her compelling story in this edition of Odyssey House Journals. Watch or listen and hopefully subscri...

FROM BLACKOUT DRUNK TO HIGH POWERED EXECUTIVE   She was in court on her 16th birthday, giving up custody of her newborn son, and she spent the next 16 years numbing herself. ARE YOU READY FOR THE GOOD NEWS? She’s been sober for the past 18 years and is leaving an amazing mark on the world. Molly Johnston’s story is in this week’s Odyssey House Journals. Watch or listen and hopefully subscribe (fre...

SHE’S FIGHTING BACK AGAINST SEX TRAFFICKERS   Amber Kehl was a victim for years, doing sex work to support her drug addiction, always controlled by others. Now she’s becoming a strong voice for survivors and everyone who wants recovery. If you check out this edition of Odyssey House Journals, you will be impressed and amazed with this incredible woman.   learn more at odysseyhouse.org

PREGNANT, ADDICTED, HOMELESS. WHAT DO I DO? Mary Johnston made the right choice 9 years ago when she entered a treatment program and she’s never looked back. In this edition of Odyssey House Journals she says she’s learned to be independent, not co-dependent especially when it comes to men. Watch or listen and hopefully subscribe (free) to the 30 minute podcast on the following platforms with the...

HE OVERDOSED OVER 20 TIMES AND STILL KEPT USING He spent months in the hospital and years behind bars and now “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!” Mike is 17 months sober. He’s happy. He wants to make his dad proud. His amazing journey in this edition of Odyssey House Journals. How did he do it? Watch or listen and hopefully subscribe (free) to the 30 minute podcast on the following platforms with the following li...

HE RELAPSED! “NOW I’M A WORK IN PROGRESS” Bryan was a shining star in the treatment program, but after 14 months of sobriety, he relapsed. Why? What goes through his mind? Will he make it this time around? In this edition of Odyssey House Journals he takes an honest, sobering look at recovery and why the journey is so difficult. Watch or listen and hopefully subscribe (free) to the 30 minute podca...

“FENTANYL TURNED ME INTO A MONSTER” Ramsey was addicted to drugs for 25 years, but after switching to fentanyl he was stabbed, shot at and overdosed 3 times. In this edition of Odyssey House Journals he talks about trying to turn his life around and making things right with his mom and 4 of his children. Watch or listen and hopefully subscribe (free) to the 30 minute podcast on the following platf...

FOR DECADES HE SOLD DRUGS THINKING IT WAS A VICTIMLESS CRIME But when he was busted and faced possibly the rest of his life in prison, Charlie realized his thinking errors and vowed to turn his life around. His life started tragically as an orphan. In this edition of Odyssey House Journals he takes us from the streets, to prison, to recovery and his dream of owning a food truck. Watch or listen an...

SHE’S PLANTING THE SEEDS OF RECOVERY. WATCH THEM GROW! Jackie Buckman is an inspiration and is helping to shape the future. Her alcoholic behavior was so bad that life long friends threw her out of the house where they were living. She took it to heart, found recovery through treatment, spent many years in school and is now a clinical social worker giving back what was given to her. The inspiratio...

“DRINKING BECAME PART OF MY IDENTITY’ Nikolai felt ‘super cool’ the first time he drank at 15 and he continued using substances ever since. An accident, gun charges, his house being raided, his dog dying and then his son dying obviously made things worse. In this edition of Odyssey House Journals follow his road to recovery and the bizarre story of how he ended up in Utah, Watch or listen and hope...

COCAINE WAS FUN AT FIRST, BUT THEN… Rory has been in the system for half of his life, from the age of 16 through 32. As problems with life built up, he “got carried away with cocaine.” In this edition of Odyssey House Journals he says he’s now looking for a balance in his life. Watch or listen and hopefully subscribe (free) to the 30 minute podcast on the following platforms with the following lin...

SHE DIED TWICE. NARCAN BROUGHT HER BACK! Lex has had a love/hate relationship with drugs while also dealing with mental health issues. Her life story is incredibly interesting including how she spent ten thousand dollars of a friend’s money on drugs and he’s still her friend! In this edition of Odyssey House Journals she talks about a police raid where she thought it was all a joke. Watch or liste...

“I LOST THE ONLY FRIENDS I HAD IN THE WHOLE WORLD” Keilani was bullied as a child and says her only friends were her mom and grandma, but they both died 5 years ago. That sent her into a tailspin, using meth and alcohol to stay numb. In this edition of Odyssey House Journals she talks about how she just wants to be happy and peaceful and how she’s doing that. Watch or listen and hopefully subscrib...

AN ALCOHOLIC AND A HEROIN ADDICT TALK ABOUT THE BAD OLD DAYS Actually Rachel Santizo Anderson and Randall Carlisle are both talking candidly about 14 years in recovery. Do they still want to use? Is life better or worse? What’s the hardest thing about long term recovery? These two now sober friends answer these questions and more in the latest edition of Odyssey House Journals. Watch or listen and...

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE 50 MOST ARRESTED PEOPLE IN SALT LAKE? These are people called high utilizers by local police. Arrested one day, released the next. Many are homeless on the streets. Some arrested over 100 times. Would you believe a test program reduced their utilization rate by 76%. In today’s Odyssey House Journals we talk to an angel in disguise, Erin Bigler, from the Legal Defenders Associa...

“I HATED BEING A SLAVE TO DRUGS” Now Colton Miller says he’s “the happiest I've ever been.” But he went through hell to get there. What a story in this edition of Odyssey House Journals! From being homeless and scrounging for a fix every day, to now mentoring people facing the same struggles. Watch or listen and hopefully subscribe (free) to the 30 minute podcast on the following platforms with th...

HE’S BATTLING THROUGH ADDICTION TO KEEP HIS LITTLE GIRL Cody loves his 3 year old daughter, but after years of meth addiction and prison, he’s fighting to keep her and he’s winning. 28 years of addiction and 4 prison terms later, he’s completing a treatment program with his little girl. In this edition of Odyssey House Journals Cody vows to succeed with his number one goal. Watch or listen and hop...

THE WORST PART OF BEING A THERAPIST IN DRUG TREATMENT? For Matthew Arego it’s when a client leaves treatment and then dies from an overdose. He was exposed to drugs and domestic violence growing up and he now has a better understanding of what was going on. In this edition of Odyssey House Journals this gentle, caring social worker has an honest look at substance use treatment. Watch or listen and...

PARADED THROUGH THE AIRPORT IN A MINI SKIRT AND SHACKLES That’s just one of the embarrassments Felicia Ferry had to deal with during her years of drug use and criminal behavior. She finally decided “I can’t deal with this sh-t forever.” In this edition of Odyssey House Journals find out how she finally found recovery and hear about her amazing life now. Watch or listen and hopefully subscribe (fre...

ONE MAN WHO IS LITERALLY PART OF RECOVERY FOR THOUSANDS He’s operations manager of a non judgemental haven for people seeking sobriety. Dave Vasquez runs Fellowship Hall which for decades has been home to recovery meetings attended by hundreds every week. In this edition of Odyssey House Journals Dave says It was a safe and sober space for his own recovery and he needs your help to keep this non p...

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THEY BOTH DECIDED TO DRINK ON THEIR HONEYMOON? Aaron and his wife were both in recovery from meth. They were loving the sun in Daytona Beach and they decided a little drink wouldn’t hurt. Says Aaron “one small thing after another small thing and it was downhill from there.” In this edition of Odyssey House Journals Aaron shares some incredible stories including a high speed chas...

KRATOM! ONE WOMAN’S STORY Lora Romney suffers from a horrible facial nerve disease that causes severe pain. “It’s like an ice cream headache that never goes away.” She says Kratom has eliminated the need for opioids to deal with the pain. In this edition of Odyssey House Journals she says to do your research before you consider using it. Watch or listen and hopefully subscribe (free) to the 30 min...